


Swept Away

by actionfan



Series: Dysfunctional [5]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Angst, Blindness, Canonical Character Death, Character Study, Conflict, Death, Debt, Destruction, Emotional, Emotional revelations, F/M, Family, Friends to Enemies, Gen, Hate, Hatred, Heroes, Hinata - Freeform, Implied Relationships, Inner Strength, Itachi is still dead, Kakashi - Freeform, Loss, Love, Minor Spoilers, One Sided Relationships, Peace, Politics, Sacrifice, Sakura Centric, Siblings, Strength, Strong Female Characters, War, battles, but that should be old news by now, clan system, for itachi's story, here have some angst, introspective, kabuto is a bastard, mentions of - Freeform, naruto - Freeform, no real pairings but sort of hints of ones, one-sided relationships, protective, resolutions, resolve, spoilers for itachi's background, this is all plans and thoughts in her head, tsunade - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-14
Updated: 2014-02-14
Packaged: 2018-01-12 09:22:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,425
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1184560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/actionfan/pseuds/actionfan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sakura learns the truth about Itachi and it throws so many things into perspective now. Forced to re-examine everything including her relationships and loyalties with her team, her village, and especially Sasuke. And what she means to do about it now that she knows. </p><p>(Naming these things and summaries are hard. Suggestions welcome.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Swept Away

Sakura/Itachi

She hears about the story much much too late, she never tried to stop what happened and even would have helped Sasuke had he let her. So the almost hysterical false laughter that bubbles up in her when she finds out the truth almost makes sense. But not really. She's _not_ the one who killed him (unlike Sasori, the monstrous little puppet-boy who really couldn't be called those last two, but had looked so young and she felt still felt for Chiyo who'd killed her own _grandson--_ more so now than she had then though because just trying to kill Sasuke had nearly killed her both figuratively and literally as it turned out) Sasori she had killed. Itachi she'd tried and wanted to fight, though considering he'd taken her sensei out of commission, it would've been smarter to run.

So her heart aches for Sasuke it really does when she hears of this. Because she understands. 

Even though she'd tried killing him and everything including her feelings for him she couldn't fathom how much it would have hurt to manage it… To be honest she'd never planned on surviving after, really hadn't thought it possible and doesn't know what she would have done, what she _could_ have done after had she survived because she hadn't seen beyond that, beyond him for so long. Had it been like that for Sasuke too? Had killing his brother been so all-encompassing he couldn't imagine a life after? What it might entail? How much had it hurt to find out how wrong he was and how much he'd been mislead and how much his brother had sacrificed all for him? What can you do after that really after finding out your life, your purpose is a lie? She still would have killed (and regretted it) for him, the boy she still loves. And maybe through it all Sasuke had still loved his brother too. Because he'd been so hurt and confused by the betrayal and she wasn't blind and she'd heard the nightmares growing up and had pieced things together and cried for him and had been glad for once to not have siblings and felt so completely sick to her stomach.

  
Part of her, a good bit of her, still hates Itachi for it because why did it have to be him?! Why on his own and how could he do that to Sasuke? And it still hurts because in the end it all seems so stupid and useless and so much killing and lies and for _what?!_ Maybe insanity and megalomania does run in the bloodline. It would fit with the rumors everyone's spouting now.

  
But her heart breaks a little too for this man who was probably the best of them all and died because of it. Because even through that stupidity and pride she knows that through it all he always loved Sasuke and he was so sick and so ill and had to go through so much on his own and even his brother couldn't know the truth and hated him. She hated being so much as disliked and teased growing up, she'd do anything to avoid it, anything to make people see and acknowledge and respect her, especially Sasuke and she couldn't imagine having to make anyone she loved hate her. She'd never be able to do that. She wasn't that strong, was too emotional, wasn't that caring maybe. Would she have been able to bear everyone in the village hating her to protect them? She doesn't know and she likes to think so but it hurts imaging Naruto looking at her with disgust, Ino spitting at her, her parents clinging to each other and crying and disowning her, Tsunade going at the bottle and raging, Kakashi with disapproval in his eye and saying that he will stop her in a voice that's ice cold and unforgiving, and she's reduced to shaking. She's literally shaking right now and it's nowhere near as bad as what Itachi went through. She's too late though and his story's still tragic and she understands Sasuke and his search, his new search for revenge this time, and she can't help him— not against her own village, not against the people she loves, that _his brother_ loved and why doesn't he see that? But, especially given the way they treat Naruto still, she can hate the elders for this (even if a little part of her understands it tactically just a little, her heart breaks because he was just a child! Again the more rational side of her reminds that he was and had been a ninja for years and an ANBU captain by that time and that was hardly the case, not with all he'd already seen, not with all he'd done, she knew stories of ANBU. Still though her mind balks because there had to have been other options! Because Naruto… she'll make sure he never has to give an order like that, never has to take an order like that, that no one suffers like Sasuke did even if it is for the greater good, for peace, she hates it, hates them for not trying harder and making everyone suffer).

She'll aid Hinata in tearing down the clan system first. End these petty rivalries and politicking and all of it however she can. Find a way to integrate them more, find a way to let the clans self-destruct, make them smaller at least, something so there can never be threat of a coup again, so there's only little Konoha and it's more unified and safe and she wants that, wants peace, and maybe that will make the clans end when Naruto succeeds and eventually even clan heads will become civilians, take on their skills and jobs and roles and there won't be a need for nin. It will be sad in its own way because it is their way of life and it will be hard and it might make her go back to the hospital but she can tolerate that if it means no more Itachi's, no more Sasuke's. She owes them all that much. And she's Tsunade's apprentice, she knows a lot of the politics and the balances of power and the goings on and how to use them, she can do this. If Itachi can give up everything just like that then she can wait and do this much at least. She just needs to get stronger, more respected, wiser, in her own right. Once she's recognized she can start putting it into place.

 -----------------------------------------------------------------

 

Still, Kabuto's one sick fuck and doesn't have the decency to let the dead stay dead (seeing Haku and Zazuba again makes her gut twist until she sees it's not really them, none of the emotions just puppets and she knows how to fight those) and tries to make the eldest Uchicha fight against them too (and she's really really glad she missed that one because she doesn't think she could do that, hurt a hero, someone she respects at least now that she knows, someone so monstrously strong, someone she knows Sasuke loves and that they all owe a debt to). But Naruto says the man broke out of it (and the medic and nin in her both wonder and ponder and gape because wow) and they talked and that he saw him with Sasuke and she hopes that maybe this wonderful self-sacrificing man can rest in peace having finally said everything. That maybe Sasuke can give up his revenge and come back now. Maybe. She hopes and prays and knows who she has to thank. _Thank you Itachi for still caring._

And if she goes out to the memorial stone, the hero's stone, and leaves flowers for the dead and for the unknown ninja, and imagines Itachi's name among the many (because he so deserves it but even now the village can't acknowledge what it's done, so she'll do her best for repayment) most people don't think anything of it because everyone knew someone who died in the war. She eventually finds the place where they put the body he'd possessed and leaves some dango because she knew he'd shared her sweet tooth after watching Sasuke's reactions and having sworn off the stuff since she was twelve once she figured it out. Now she eats a little for him sometimes. And says a little I remember you. I remember what you did and I thank and respect you for it. Some of us know.

**END**

**Author's Note:**

> I rather lost interest in this fandom but i'm posting old works. I am fairly sure this is really au or at least auish by now.


End file.
